As you can see from Creativity Live, Denise has a passion for writing, especially for children, and a passion for Jamaica, especially its natural environment, and she has combined these in her work. Indeed, she sees an affinity with the natural environment as an important source of creativity. Another source of creativity, she has noted, is the determination some people have to make the best use of what they have when resources are scarce.

Denise began writing when recovering from a terrible road accident (read about it here) and here she talks about her work and family:

I decided to help two boys with their homework in the afternoons, because their grandmother didn't want them to play on the streets when they got home from school. And she was unable to stay home with them. This was a huge task for me as I am disabled. But I wrote a story for them, about the best attraction in Jamaica (Dunns River Falls) and added puzzles at the back of the book, so it would keep them occupied and I also helped them to spell more words when we played Scrabble. When they noticed how much their grades were improving, I didn't have much trouble keeping them off the streets anymore.

The book is now on sale on the Things Jamaican website, as I visited the offices of the Jamaica Business Development Centre and they purchased copies for their shops. I am looking forward to publishing more books like that one as I now understand the need for this type of literature for our children. The Things Jamaican website has the best Jamaican products and craft items made by Jamaicans. You will find a wonderful display of Jamaican creativity there.

The stories I have written are about our heritage sites and other beautiful places on the island. I believe it is important for our children to read about important things; not just fairytales, so they can grow up to become productive and creative citizens. I even did poetry about Jamaica's beauty and published an e book at www.smashwords.com. The eBook 'Jamaica Mi Paradise' has poems written in Jamaican dialect and it has the translation at the end of the book, so readers will understand the poems easily. I am hoping readers will enjoy Jamaica just as much as I have been doing, all my life. When they read the poems and see the pictures they'll feel as if they were able to take the most affordable vacation ever.

Creativity that comes from the heart

My sister, Rayven Amani, has been in love with music since she was a little girl. She talked about Bob Marley's music even before she could call his name properly. So it has been no surprise to me that she has been singing and producing such great music. I think it comes from her heart.